Storm Rising
by Pale Dawn Sunlight
Summary: "When clouds take over the sky, they will rain blood on the forest." Eaglepaw is just a normal apprentice, seven moons old. His brother, Nightpaw, is always getting in trouble, but Eaglepaw is a model apprentice, perfecting his hunter's crouch, winning every practice battle he does. But his perfect life is shattered by the prophecy- or is it just being rebuilt? Rated T for Violence
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN WARRIORS. ERIN HUNTER DOES.**

INTRODUCTION

Hello, I'm Journey! This is my first story! The Clan is on my page, so if you want to know all the characters, please go there. Here is the shortcut: u/6146942/

Anyway, enjoy the story!

"Limppaw, bring me some yarrow! Petalkit ate some crowfood!" The brown she-cat nodded and limped over to the little cave where the medicine den was. Petalkit was near the nursery, choking on rotten vole. Frozenfire pushed on his chest, patiently waiting for Limppaw, knowing his apprentice took longer because of his disability. Two of the apprentices, Eaglepaw and Nightpaw, watched amusingly as she regretingly swallowed the bitter yarrow leaves when Limppaw came back. Then Frozenfire rushed her to the dirtplace, and a moment later, she came back, looking sick.

Keep her off of the prey pile for a while, get the prey for her. And for StarClan's sake, Nightpaw, don't bring crowfood to camp again!" Nightpaw, choking to stifle his purr, nodding and bounced off to the apprentice den, a little cleared area sheltered by bushes. Nightpaw felt bad, but not as much as he thought he would. Petalkit looked hilarious, choking on the crowfood. His mentor, Beechfoot, stormed into the apprentice den a moment later, catching a few leaves in his fur, looking angry.

"Nightpaw, what am I going to do with you?" Nightpaw shrugged.

"I dunno, train me, like you're supposed to?" Beechfoot swished his tail crossly and stalked out. Nightpaw knew why he was so angry- for one, what an embarrassment to have your apprentice poison a kit. For two, not just A kit, but HIS kit. Nightpaw yawned and lay down in his nest, and took a little nap.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Nightpaw! You're going on evening patrol, since for some reason, you decided to doze off and take a nap for the whole sunhigh instead of helping around camp!" Nightpaw got up guiltily and walked out into the camp. Mintpool, Eaglepaw, Thornheart, Beechfoot. Plus Nightpaw. Okay, that was a decent patrol. Except for Beechfoot, who still looked mad about the crowfood- oh well. Maybe Nightpaw could catch another rabbit, a real one, to make it up to him.

The patrol set out, Thornheart leading it. The sun was just setting belowo the trees, making the forest shine golden. The orange, swelling sun looked like a big ball of fire, lighting the sky and the forest up with beautiful light.

They came to ShadowClan border. Thornheart was the first to set his mark, and then Beechfoot and Mintpool let Eaglepaw and Nightpaw practice marking the border. Nightpaw had just finished when he heard rustling on the other side of the scent markers.

"Rowanpaw, it's just a ThunderClan patrol."

"I know, but they might eat us!"

Four cats emerged, two apprentices and two warriors, probably their mentors. One apprentice was ginger, the other one dark gray. The ginger cat's mentor was pure white with an ice cold stare, the other a brown tabby, with ivy green eyes.

"What are you doing here?" the ginger apprentice asked tensely. Thornpaw purred. "We're on ThunderClan territory, not ShadowClan." The apprentice shrunk back, the big white tom taking his place.

"Obviously they're just checking our territory for prey nearby," said Eaglepaw, his shoulder fur bristling. Mintpool purred and swished him back with her tail.

"Sorry about my apprentice, Snowstorm. This is his first rival patrol meeting," Mintpool told the white tom apologetically. Snowstorm looked a little tense, but nodded, and flicked his tail to dismiss the patrol, who stalked away. Eaglepaw, looking embarrassed, hid behind Mintpool as the dark gray apprentice glared at him while she walked away.

"Who was that?" he asked Mintpool, pointing his tail at the dark gray she-cat.

"Oh, I think that's Cloudkit- I mean, Cloudpaw. I was good friends with her mother, before she died after six moons since kitting." Eaglepaw twitched his whiskers surprisingly, and the patrol went on, and finally getting back to camp, all cats in their nests, the moon shining brightly down on the camp, making the hollow glitter like stars, no fern or flower not bathed in the beautiful silver moonlight. All was content.

At least, for now.


	2. Chapter 2

"Hey, Breezepaw, come on!" The pale gray tom blinked his eyes open sleepily. Eaglepaw whipped him with his tail.

"It's time for our trip to the Moonstream!" Breezepaw groaned. Breezepaw's sister, Heatherpaw, walked up to him.

"Come on, Breezepaw! This means we're almost warriors!" Breezepaw bounced up, immediately full of energy. Nightpaw was snoring loudly in the corner of the den, his tail twitching occasionally. A look of worry was spread across his face. Eaglepaw decided to wake his brother up from the bad dream.

"Nightpaw!" He prodded his brother with a claw. He shifted. "Nightpaw!" He hit his brother with a sheathed blow. Nightpaw's eyes fluttered open, looking the same as he did in his sleep.

"Where's Frozenfire?" he asked tensely. Eaglepaw twitched his whiskers in surprise.

"Frozenfire? Why?" His brother sat down awkwardly.

"Uh, I, have a bellyache." He immediately clutched his stomach with his paws, groaning in pain. Eaglepaw knew his brother was lying, but answered.

* * *

>"In the medicine den, like she always is." Nightpaw nodded and pelted off. Eaglepaw shot a confused look over at Breezepaw and Heatherpaw, who just shrugged.<p><p>

"Nightpaw is not coming," announced Mintpool. Eaglepaw gasped.

* * *

>"Why?" he asked. Mintpool sighed. "He's in great shock after last night," she answered. Eaglepaw sighed. They then walked out of camp, off to the border by ShadowClan. They were named after the original Clan, and normally, RoseClan should be called ThunderClan in honor of them, but they were not. WindClan and RiverClan kept the names in honor of their ancestors, too, but many seasons ago, the first leader of the new Clans, Rosestar, decided to start fresh. However, many other cats called RoseClan 'ThunderClan'.<p><p>

Finally, they came to the little cave where the Moonstream ran through. The opening of the cave was like a mouth, opened, ready to consume the cats. Eaglepaw was about to go in when he felt a tail in front of him.

It was Cloudpaw, the she-cat who was at the border yesterday. Eaglepaw flattened his ears and hissed. Her mentor, Snowstorm, came up.

"What are ThunderClan cats doing here?" Mintpool hissed.

"_Rose_Clan, you mean." Snowstorm sat down. Drizzelfall padded up.

"We're here to see StarClan," she explained. Cloudpaw groaned.

"Seriously?" she sat down. "Of course you are." She sunk her claws into the damp floor. Flicking her tail, she stalked away into the cave, Snowstorm following. Sighing, Eaglepaw followed, everyone behind him. The cave was dim and the stream trickled by, the sound like raindrops. Cloudpaw jumped over the little stream and sat down next to it. Snowstorm did the same. RoseClan cats sat down pon the side across from them. All the cats dipped their paws in the stream, and Eaglepaw felt the freezing water run through his paw fur, across his pads, getting into his claws. He quickly took them out and went into a deep sleep.

_The sun was just near rising, and the forest was bathed in pale sunlight. A dark gray she-cat stepped out, her belly swollen with kits. Another cat, a blonde tom with green eyes, walked up to her. He smelled of herbs. The cat's faces were too blurry to see; Eaglepaw couldn't tell who they were._

_ "The kits are due tomorrow," said the tom. The she-cat purred._

_ "Their father will be proud." Another cat, with pale brown fur, walked up._

_ "I am." They faded, and now a fiery ginger tom appeared. He was clearer than the other cats, and there were stars in his paws._

_ "I am Firestar." The name sounded familiar to Eaglepaw, but he couldn't quite figure it out._

_ "Nightpaw has seen what many cats would see as against the warrior code." Eaglepaw gasped._

_ "But do not let it change your point of view. When you do something, just trust yourself." The ginger cat began to fade. Eaglepaw started to panic._

_ "Wait! Firestar! What are you talking about?" But it was too late. The cat was gone, and the forest was now empty except for the rustling of branches_ _and the scuffling of prey._

Eaglepaw awoke suddenly, her eyes open. Other cats were fluttering their eyes awake, and Cloudpaw looked confused as she got up from the other side of the stream. Heatherpaw got up and stretched, looking happy. Breezepaw looked sad, his face drooped and his paw steps slow. Cherrylight came over and wrapped her tail around his shoulders. Cloudpaw looked across the stream to Eaglepaw. Eaglepaw looked away and looked to Mintpool, who nodded. Outside, the sun was high in the air. Snowstorm and Cloudpaw jumped over and stalked away, leaving the RoseClan cats in the cave alone. Blossomfrost looked to Mintpool and Cherrylight, who nodded, and they set off through ShadowClan territory to RoseClan.


	3. Allegiances

**Hey Unicorn here! I decided I wanted to post the Allegiances, and wanted a clean profile. So, here it is! Sorry about dat. :/**

My Clan:

**ROSECLAN**

Leader: Leafstar- pale brown she-cat with hazel eyes and white hindpaws.

Deputy: Flamefur- bright ginger tom with yellow eyes and long front claws.

Apprentice: Stonepaw- blue gray tom with sky blue eyes and a white tail tip.

Medicine Cat: Frozenfire- white she-cat with ginger paws, ears, and tail tip.

Apprentice: Limppaw- brown tabby she-cat with a paralyzed back paw, disabling her from becoming a warrior.

**WARRIORS**

Mintpool- pale gray tabby she-cat with light green eyes and a white belly

Apprentice: Eaglepaw- pale brown tom with dark brown patches and dark green eyes.

Thornheart: Black tom with eery yellow eyes and unusually sharp claws

Beechfoot- golden tom with a white tail tip and dark blue eyes

Apprentice: Nightpaw: dark gray tom with black stripes.

Drizzlefall- blue gray she-cat with dark blue eyes and a white belly.

Apprentice: Heatherpaw: Cream colored she-cat with light green eyes.

Blossomfrost- rosy brown she-cat with a white forepaw and soft light blue eyes.

Cherrylight- rosy cream colored cat with gray eyes.

Apprentice- Breezepaw- pale gray tom with light blue eyes.

Goldencloud- golden she-cat with dark green eyes and a black tail tip

Burningfire- fiery ginger tom with black paws, tail tip, and ears.

Dustclaw- black tom with yellow eyes and gray claws.

Apprentice: Lilypaw- rosy cream colored she-cat with bright green eyes.

**QUEENS**

Flowerblossom- White she-cat with rosy eyes.

Kits: Jaykit- black tom, Petalkit-pale gray she-cat

Frostcloud- pale gray she-cat with white belly and light blue eyes.

Kits: Expecting

**ELDERS**

Lizardtail- dark brown tabby tom with bright green eyes.

Vinenose- dark gray she-cat who is losing her vision.

Jingle- White tom, former kittypet, who was kicked out from the Twoleg nest he lived in and taken in


	4. Chapter 3

"Nightpaw, what happened?" asked Eaglepaw as he bounded into camp. The black striped apprentice was sitting beside the apprentice den, his face plastered with a look of fear. As he looked to his brother, Nightpaw stepped back.

"N-nothing," he murmured. "Just some b-bad prey." Eaglepaw snorted.

"Sure," he meowed. "Where's my brother, usually feeding kits rabbit droppings and stuck in the elder's den hunting ticks from your misdoings! Now you're just sulking around, and you're as noticeable as a spider in a bramble thicket!" Nightpaw shrugged.

"Beechfoot!" Eaglepaw turned to see Nightpaw's mentor being called by Leafstar. Her pale brown pelt was ruffled in the strong wind, and her hazel eyes were clouded with sadness and sorriness. Eaglepaw, interested, silently followed the golden warrior to the leader's den, which was a small cave. She waited outside and pricked her ears to listen, leaning forward so he could just see the inside.

"Beechfoot," Leafstar began. "it's about Nightpaw..." Beechfoot sighed and bowed his head.

"He is not doing well since that sunrise. What happened to him?" Leafstar shook her head.

"Just a horrible dream. Frozenfire can't get any information about it, though. She could just give him honey and soothe him with thyme." Beechfoot nodded his head solemnly.

"Now, what is it?" he asked, worry in his tone of voice. Leafstar hesitated, then answered.

"He will be taken out of training and immediately be made a warrior." Beechfoot gasped.

"Are you sure this is what will help him? He asked doubtfully. Leafstar nodded firmly, her tail swishing.

"He has had a traumatizing experience, and something like getting a warrior name might take his mind off of it." Eaglepaw jumped away and walked off. His brother, a warrior already? Eaglepaw shook his head. Perish the thought! Nightpaw had fooled around his whole apprenticeship, and now just because of a bad dream, he got to be a warrior? Eaglepaw, growling, rushed into the apprentice den and fell into an uneasy sleep.

Cloudpaw settled down into her pine needle nest, the smooth, sleek skins cooling her pelt.

"Rowanpaw!" The ginger apprentice, three moons younger than Cloudpaw, jumped out of his nest, picked a pine needle from his pelt, and raced off to his mentor, Snowstorm. Cloudpaw sighed and went to her mentor. His tabby markings were blurred in the dim light, though his bright green eyes were as clear as ever.

"Oh, hi, Cloudpaw," he said.

"Hi, Nettlefoot," greeted Cloudpaw. Nettlefoot dropped a frog in front of her.

"Eat up," he said. We need all our strength for the battle to come." Cloudpaw took a gulp and bit into the frog, thinking about the battle. ShadowClan planned to attack RoseClan tonight and steal their herb supply, for their medicine was running low, only a few dried up leaves and shriveled berries in their stores. Cloudpaw thought the battle fair; Clans need what they need, after all. And ThunderClan boasted at every Gathering about their bursting medicine store. However, she wasn't so certain she was ready.

"What if I mess up with my back left kick, or unsheathed side blow, or don't roll fast enough and get crushed, or-" Nettlefoot sighed.

"Look, Cloudpaw. Every warriors will have good battles and bad ones. But they never stop trying their hardest. As long as you try your best, you win on my terms." Cloudpaw purred and took another bite, spitting out the slimy skin.

"Herb raiders, by the thorn bush! Warriors den attackers, on their left! Apprentice den attackers, on their right! Elders den attackers, in front of apprentice attackers, leader's den holders, in front of warrior attackers! And the remaining cats for nursery, front center! Nettlefoot and Snowstorm, front with me, ready to take away the watch cats!" Nettlefoot nodded farewell and padded off, Cloudpaw heading to the thorn bush. She would grab as many herbs as she could and run out of camp, no coming back. At least five cats were in the group, including the medicine cat apprentice, Lilypaw. They headed off into the dark forest, and came to an abrupt halt at the border. Hesitantly they crossed, one line by one, until they were all in ThunderClan territory. The horrible stench of RoseClan filled her nostrils and drowned out her other senses.

Finally, they came to the camp. A cat was on guard, who she recognized from Gatherings and Mintpool. Her pale gray pelt was dark in the dim light of the crescent moon, and her head was lifted, scenting the air suspiciously. Suddenly, Nettlefoot and Snowstorm pounced on her, each covering her mouth with a paw so her cries were muted. Their leader grabbed her scruff, and the three dragged her away. Then, the plan came into work.

Elders den attackers went first. They rolled in a mud pool and stalked silently over to the elders den opening. Next, the apprentice den attackers rolled in the pool and positioned themselves around the den. Next, the nursery attackers, then the warriors den, then the leader's den. Finally, the medicine raiders rolled in the mud. Cloudpaw gulped and dipped into the mud, then out when her scent was hidden. They all padded over to the medicine den and began silently grabbing stacks of ordered leaves. Rowanpaw, part of the medicine raiders group as well, was right behind her, and accidentally stepped on the medicine cat apprentice, Limpaw's, tail. The cat yowled in pain, waking the Frozenfire. She yowled in surprise when she saw the cat's around her. That woke the whole Clan.

Nightpaw jolted awake when he heard the yowl. What was going on? He peeked out, to see big feet. He jumped back. Nightpaw looked around the apprentice den, a shallow in the ground surrounded by ferns, making walls.

"Eaglepaw!" he whispered. His brother fluttered his eyes open. He immediately got up. Yowls were going through camp coming from the medicine den, waking everyone in the apprentice den.

"What's happening?" Nightpaw showed him the feet. Hetaherpaw and Breezepaw padded up, as did Stonepaw and Lilypaw. Stonepaw and Lilypaw, being the oldest, decided to make a move.

"Come on, you guys, dodge them." They slipped past the feet, yowling in surprise when they reached the outside. The other apprentices went through as well.

The camp was in chaos. Warriors were slashing claws with ShadowClan cats, and the medicine den had many ThunderClan cats battling off ShadowClan cats with herbs in their jaws. Eaglepaw panicked. His brother began to breathe fast and dart his eyes everywhere. Finally, Nightpaw and Heatherpaw darted off to the nursery, where Frostcloud, belly swollen, was fighting off a bulky ShadowClan tom. Behind her was Flowerblossom and her kits shrinking back in fright in the corner of the den.

Breezepaw, Lilypaw, and Stonepaw pelted off to the elder's den, where Jingle was fiercely fighting alongside Vinenose and Lizardtail against five warriors. Eaglepaw darted over to the medicine den, where a blur of gray fur shot at him. Shocked, he was barreled over. Fury surged through him. _This is what I've been practicing for! _He threw the fur off, still not realizing who it was until it pinned him down; it was Cloudpaw. A mysterious look passed through her eyes, and Eaglepaw stared at her, unable to fight back. Her fur was ruffled and she held a stack of herbs in her mouth; he though marigold. Her dark green eyes glittered like leaves shining with morning dew. Then, the moment of calm was over. She bounced off of him and bolted away. Eaglepaw was dazed for a moment, struck by his feelings. Then he raced after her. She didn't make it far until Eaglepaw grabbed her tail with his teeth and yanked her backwards. He grabbed the herbs from her mouth. Cloudpaw hissed.

"I need those," she said through gritted teeth. He stared at her again, for a longer moment this time.

"Why?" he mumbled through a mouthful of sour herbs. Cloudpaw hesistated, then sighed, sitting down.

"My Clan has more sick cats than herbs," she finally said. Eaglepaw spit out the herbs.

"Have them," he said. Cloudpaw stared for a moment in confusion, then, with a shrug, grabbed them and began to pad away.

"Wait! Cloudpaw!" he yowled, unsure why. She turned around, confused. He shifted his paws awkwardly.

"Uh, meet me tomorrow night at the Four Rocks, okay? The she-cat flicked her tail and ran off. He wasn't sure what that meant, and also wasn't sure why he had said that. All he could think of was her eyes as he grabbed herbs from other warrior's mouths, only about two escaping with bundles.

She was the only thing he could think of even when he came back to camp and Leafstar announced that Vinewing had died in the battle.


	5. Chapter 4

"We have not won the battle," announced Leafstar, her pale brown pelt marked with scratches, and her white paws spotted with blood from the cats she clawed. "Those mangy ShadowClan cats came and attacked us for herbs. We are left with very little, just enough to cure our wounds." The cats yowled in madness. One cat, Burningfire, was furious.

"How DARE they come and take what keeps this Clan alive!" he screeched. Other cats joined in the loud chorus.

"Stop!" yowled Leafstar, annoyed. "We have good news after all. Nightpaw, please step forward.

The gray and black tom had not fought in the battle, only cower in the apprentice den. No scent of blood or ShadowClan was on him, and he did not wear any scratched from the battle. He cautiously padded forward. Cats all around him were giving each other confused looks.

"Nightpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, even at the cost of your life?" Cats allowed gasps of shock to escape from their mouths.

"Y-Yes," he stammered, amazed. Eaglepaw growled under his breath and swallowed back a yowl of defiance.

"Then, by the powers of StarClan, I grant you your warrior name. From this moment on, you shall be known as Nightstripe." Cats began to cheer his name, though it wasn't as cheerful as other warrior ceremony chants.

"Nightstripe! Nightstripe! Nightstripe!" they cheered. Then, the cats went off to the medicine den to get their wounds treated.

A young warrior, Blossomfrost, padded up to Nightstripe.

"Hey, buddy!" she meowed. "Do you want to have your nest next to mine?" Nightstripe brightened.

"Sure!" he said. The two padded away. Eaglepaw groaned. First, he unfairly gets a warrior name, and now he gets a she-cat looking after him. Plopping down, Eaglepaw began to lick a wound on his shoulder.

_Cloudpaw! _He suddenly remembered. Eaglepaw looked up at the sky. The sun was at the top. At dusk, he would leave. Eaglepaw decided to look his best for her. So, he padded over to the medicine den.

"Hey, Frozenfire," he meowed. Most of the cats had finished, and were resting.

"Oh, hi, Eaglepaw," she said. She finished wrapping up a poultice of marigold with bay leaves on Cherrylight, then padded up to him.

"Why don't you go over to Limppaw? I think Goldencloud popped her forepaw out, and I need to set it back in place." Eaglepaw nodded, and limped over to the tabby she-cat.

"Ah. Finally," she meowed. "Sit down, so I can check you." Eaglepaw obeyed, and plopped down happily on the soft grassy floor. Limppaw then cleaned his bloody wounds with wet moss, then dried them with dry moss. Then she chewed up some marigold and put it on his wounds, and covered it with bay leaves to make it stick. Then she sent him off.

"When can I take this off?" he asked before he exited. Limppaw flicked her tail.

"At sunset, let me take it off and wash it, then immediately go to bed. I don' want you getting any infections in your scratches. He nodded. When the medicine cats took his off, they'd take off the whole Clan's marigold, too. They'll all be asleep. Then he could leave to see Cloudpaw.

Eaglepaw, full of new excitement, ran over to the apprentice den, where he found Stonepaw and Lilypaw talking.

"We're older than Nightstripe, why does he get to be a warrior already?" said Stonepaw. Lilypaw nodded. Then they noticed Eaglepaw.

"Oh," they said. "Sorry." Eaglepaw shrugged and sat down next to them.

"It's not fair," he joined in. "He hasn't even gone to the Moonstone yet. He didn't even fight in that battle.

The day went on until the sun was sinking into the trees. Eaglepaw was first in line to remove his marigold. Frozenfire unwrapped them and licked off the marigold. He then impatiently waited in his nest until the whole Clan was asleep, and stalked out of camp.

The night was crisp and cool, piercing his pelt. The forest was dim and wet. It took a few long minutes to reach the Four Rocks, a clearing with four rocks, one in each corner, for each leader to stand on. When he was there, the she-cat was sitting on the ShadowClan rock, her tail waving through the night air slowly.

"Hi," he said. He scrambled onto the RoseClan rock, right in front of the ShadowClan one. "Do you come here often?" he asked awkwardly. She nodded, and hopped over to his rock.

"Almost every night," she said calmly, her voice like the still lake, with no waves interfering with the crystal surface.  
>"Cool," he said. "So, uh, why did you guys attack us? To get our herbs?" she nodded and sat down.<p>

"We had more sick cats than herbs." Eaglepaw sighed.

"But why attack us? Now we barely had enough herbs to heal our own." Cloudpaw had a look of pity on her face.

"Sorry," she apologized. "My father was one of the sick. He was on the verge of death; the herbs you let me take healed him, and now he is alive again, hunting and mentoring." Eaglepaw couldn't help but feel happy that he had let her go.

"Oh. Well, I mean, if you're going to take our herbs, don't just yowl and start fighting. At least sneak in," he joked. Cloudpaw purred.

"We tried, but some stupid cat accidentally stepped on your medicine cat's tail." Then her gaze softened. "Thank you," she said. Eaglepaw nodded.

"Well, if you ever need anything, even just a mouse, please just ask me. My Clan won't be able to live with another battle; one cat already died." Cloudpaw gasped.

"What? Oh, I'm so sorry, Eaglepaw," she said. Then she stood up.

"Meet me here again in two days." Then she stalked off to ShadowClan territory. Eaglepaw felt something poke at his heart when she walked away, then ignored and raced back to camp. He quickly scrubbed himself with wet moss to hide the scent of Cloudpaw, then fell asleep.

Eaglepaw was about to tuck into a morning vole when his mentor, Mintpool, padded over.

"Eaglepaw, want to go hunting?" she asked. Eaglepaw nodded and put away the vole; it could wait.

"Who's on the patrol?" he asked. Mintpool flicked her tail.

"You, me, Dustclaw, Lilypaw, and Nightstripe," she said. Eaglepaw swallowed back a growl as his brother padded over to them, Lilypaw and Dustclaw behind him.

"It's good he's getting out," whispered Mintpool. "Don't feel bad." Eaglepaw sighed and padded over to his brother.

"Hey, Nightstripe!" he meowed. His brother glanced over.

"Hey, Eaglepaw," he greeted. Eaglepaw shrugged; so far, they were good.

"Where should we hunt?" he asked. Nightstripe shuddered.

"Not by ShadowClan," he said. Lilypaw looked at him.

"Actually," said Dustclaw, "we probably should. We should show them we're well, and show them it's our territory. Send a message." Nightstripe, though he looked unsure, nodded, and they set off.

When they came to the border, Nightstripe immediately spotted a vole and caught it. Lilypaw caught two mice, Mintpool caught a thrush and a pigeon, Dustclaw caught two voles, and Eaglepaw caught a starling. They were heading back when they saw Frozenfire and Limppaw, tending to some new herbs.

"Catmint and thyme," they explained. "The ShadowClan cats took most of our catmint, and half of our thyme. We found a juniper bush back there, also." The cats watched as the two she-cat dripped water from wet moss onto the plants.

"Well, we just finished hunting," meowed Mintpool. Frozenfire got up.

"And we're done here. Let's get back to camp."The cats began to walk back, when Dustclaw realized he had left a vole by the border. The cats had to go back.

They were about to leave when they heard a screech, and a giant bird flew over them into ShadowClan territory.

"Odd there's an eagle here," said Dustclaw, who then picked up his vole. Limppaw looked a bit uneasy, as did Frozenfire.

"Maybe..." said Frozenfire.

"An omen," said Limppaw. The warriors and apprentices all looked at each other, confused. Then, they all walked back to camp, Limppaw and Frozenfire muttering about omens the whole way.

What was the omen?


End file.
